Alternative Tires for Civic Hatch ST

Sandman210

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Hey Guys,

Some of you may have seen my post on my tire issues previously but for those who have not basically I have only 6500 miles on the car and I already have had to replace 2 tires on my HB.. Granted due to the crazy weather where I live there have been more potholes now than ever and the low profile 235/40/r18 tires don't help

I hope this is not the case but if I do get another flat, I was thinking of getting non stock tires that have more sidewall but to keep the diameter the same for the TPMS system, it has to be a 215/45/r18.. Is that accurate? What am I losing if I go down this road? I am just tired of worrying if I will get another flat when I hit unavoidable pot holes on the road..

Thanks,
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Honda Civic 10th gen Alternative Tires for Civic Hatch ST upload_2019-5-1_18-41-45
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herox

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The TPMS doesn't care about the diameter of your tires as it only notices the difference in revolutions between them. You will need to recalibrate your TPMS when you swap your wheels and tires.
 
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Sandman210

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The TPMS doesn't care about the diameter of your tires as it only notices the difference in revolutions between them. You will need to recalibrate your TPMS when you swap your wheels and tires.
Got it but is there a recommend tire size range I should stay in between? Should it only be tire sizes in the screenshot in my original post?
 

Gotch

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I wanna see the 135/70R/18....can you say stretch?

All those tire sizes have about the same sidewall. If using the stock rims 235/45/18. The only other way to get higher sidewalls is to go down to 17’s
 
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215 will be the smallest you should go on a 8" wide wheel (assuming you're on the OEM wheels).

In reality though your sidewall is barely getting any bigger with a 215/45R18. Only 0.85% more than what it is right now...

OEM: 45% of 235 = ‭105.75‬mm sidewall height
Proposed: 45% of 215 = ‭96.75‬mm sidewall height

If you really want a bigger side-wall I suggest you change your rims, maybe go down to 16" or 17"?

If you're willing to sacrifice overall height, the rule of thumb is usually no taller than 3%. Due note that the bigger OD the more your speedo will be off.

That being said, running a thinner tire has its pros and cons.
 


BarracksSi

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Two suggestions I'd have:

- Find a tire with stronger sidewalls. This would probably mean looking for high-performance summer or trackday tires that are already designed with stiff sidewalls for quicker turning response. Plush-riding touring all-season tires are made softer.

- Get smaller wheels. Not smaller tires, but wheels, specifically the rims that the tires mount on. And then get tires with deeper sidewalls to match the outer circumference of stock.

I've got 16" rims with 215/55-16 tires for winter*, and I will testify that they feel softer and absorb bumps more smoothly than the stock 235/40-18 wheels and tires.

Frankly, I don't really like using 18" wheels on this car as a daily driver. They look cool, but that's about it. They're heavy and the tire size means thinner sidewalls, giving less protection from pavement cracks and bridge joints. I'd get either 16s or 17s if I were to add a third set of wheels for summer.

* I got narrower tires for winter with the idea that they won't "float" over snow as much. For daily and summer, I'd get 235- or 245-width tires, even on 16" rims -- as long as they'd fit correctly on the rims.

My usual reference for comparing tire sizes:
https://tiresize.com/comparison/
 

Vic_L

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If you stick with 18", your side wall won't get much more, without going out of factory specification.
215/45/R18 only gives a gain of 0.1" on the sidewall -- since the sidewall is a RATIO (%) of the tire width.
Your best bet is down-sizing to 17".

For an example, 215/50/R17 (what the 2018 Civic Sedan/Coupe Touring uses)
Honda Civic 10th gen Alternative Tires for Civic Hatch ST upload_2019-5-3_18-21-19



if you want to maintain the 235 width, 235/45/R17 would work as well.
Honda Civic 10th gen Alternative Tires for Civic Hatch ST upload_2019-5-3_18-23-2



With 18", you don't have much to work with...
235/45/R18....you get 0.5" (+13.5%) of extra sidewall, but your diameter is +1", Revs/Mile is off by -28, and up to a 3 MPH variation in the speedometer.
Honda Civic 10th gen Alternative Tires for Civic Hatch ST upload_2019-5-3_18-29-57


You can do 245/40/R18, but you only gain 0.3" (+3.2%) sidewall.
 
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Sandman210

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Thanks for all the input. I don't want to change my rims to a smaller size so I guess I will see how it goes from here. This winter has just killed the roads near me and they are not fixing them..
 

BarracksSi

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Thanks for all the input. I don't want to change my rims to a smaller size so I guess I will see how it goes from here. This winter has just killed the roads near me and they are not fixing them..
Bill your city or county for the blown tires. My hometown is accepting claims because of how badly the roads got damaged this winter and during the spring floods.
 
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Sandman210

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Bill your city or county for the blown tires. My hometown is accepting claims because of how badly the roads got damaged this winter and during the spring floods.
I looked that up but the damages need to exceed 2000 for a claim to be filed in the town where I got my 2nd flat..ridiculous
 


PhilF

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Thanks for all the input. I don't want to change my rims to a smaller size so I guess I will see how it goes from here. This winter has just killed the roads near me and they are not fixing them..
When I took delivery of my Touring Coupe in December, it had OEM Continental's, never had good luck with them, even on a previous Civic with 17" rims, including a sidewall failure. After doing some research, the dealer replaced them with 235/40/18 Michelin Primacy Tours. These have an XL load rating, albeit a lower "H" speed rating, but are a 95H vs the 91Y of the Continentals, so they have stronger sidewalls because of the load rating.
Ride quality & handling are excellent and I recently got back from a trip to Indianapolis, where I encountered some of the worst potholes I've ever encountered on I70 in Indiana, no problems with now 7400 miles on them.
Needless to say, I'm pleased, incidentally, the trip was entirely in rain, traction was excellent, no trace of hydroplaning even at 70mph. YMMV, but they work for me. Going in next week for an alignment check after all that punishment, I70 is a real mess.
 
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TheComebackKid

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Don't forget that the wheels are 8" wide so tire size should be minimum 215 but ideal would be 225 or 235.
 

Giltibo

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My advice is to go with 16" wheels and narrower / higher sidewall tires for the winter - 215/55-16 - That's what I do with my Sport Touring.

And note that some shops will not install tires speed-rated lower than the OEM tires on your OEM wheels (Ex. No H-Rated tires on my OEM Sport Touring wheels, Y or Z Rated only - the suspension is tuned for these types of tires)
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